Police continue to urge residents to remove valuables and lock up their vehicles at when unattended - particularly at night. In fact, the need to be vigilant about locking your vehicles is greater than ever. There have been a rash of car break-ins on the north-east side of Evansville. In fact, several months ago my own car was broken into after I forgot to lock it up after bringing in groceries. Keep in mind, I am hyper-vigilant about locking my car and the day that I forgot because I was juggling 600 shopping bags was the day my car was a target. Luckily, the only thing taken was recovered after the thief or thieves changed their mind about keeping it and tossed it down the road in front of a neighbors house. I won't lie, I felt completely violated knowing a stranger had been going through the things in my car. Some of my neighbors were not so lucky, reporting wallets, purses & even a handgun stolen.

While the break-in of my car was months ago, the break-ins continue in the neighborhoods surrounding my own with the most recent just night before last - see video above. Now, according to reports, Vanderburgh County Sheriff;s Department has said that there have been 20 break-in calls just on the north-east side in only the last 3 weeks! Clearly, we need to step up our safety measures. Be sure that you lock your vehicle. The EPD suggests that you create a #9pmRoutine that includes making the rounds to check your vehicle(s) is/are locked. Don't leave valuables in your car and definitely do not leave any firearms in the car. Do turn on the lights - make sure you have your outside lights on and if you do have security cameras, make sure they are working properly.